


Dear of the Desert

by bethany81707



Series: Empress Overthrown [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: F/M, Soccer, Whip Marks, child bride, rescue romance, slavery as backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 23:46:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14964527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethany81707/pseuds/bethany81707
Summary: Sanaki escapes a nasty fate at the hands of the Senate, and finds herself in the desert refuge of Tormod and his laguz liberators. With no plan to reclaim her throne, Sanaki finds herself in a new role, one she comes to enjoy.





	1. Rescue

Sanaki let the tears fall down her cheeks, more than prepared for the consequences. Well, when she really admitted it to herself, no, she wasn’t, really. But she was as ready as a ten year old could get for her own wedding. Somehow, Lekain had organised the entire thing with Ashnard without her knowledge, so when the time came to illuminate her, all they needed to do was put her in this infernal gown, lock a pair of high heels on and throw her in a carriage, and by Lekain’s reckoning, they could have her ready to go down the aisle as soon as they arrived.

As far as ‘methods to stop her from changing Begnion for the better’ went, Sanaki would rather they have killed her. At the very least, she hoped Ashnard could let her plot her revenge, but she had very low hopes for that.

The carriage careened to a halt, sending her flying into the wall in front. Sanaki took the chance to try the door again, knowing it had been locked, but hoping to get it to jostle. Her first slam didn’t jostle the place a bit. The second was only slightly better. The third, however, was accompanied by a sudden heave, which Sanaki was ready to celebrate before a voice of reason gave her pause. She was slamming the carriage backwards… so why was it tipping from side to side?

“Careful, you idiots! There’s a little girl in here!” Sanaki called out.

“Shaddup! You should be seen and not heard, remember?” one of the crooks in charge of driving her carriage called. An animalistic roar sounded from one side… no, that roar was from an animal. It couldn’t have been a leopard, those were quiet. Could it have been a tiger, perhaps?

...Or was it a tiger laguz? The hawk call overhead seemed to support the laguz theory, but why would the laguz want to save  _ her _ ? Her carriage tipped again, and the sound of swords being drawn came to. With a whoosh, she heard the sizzle of flame, and smelled the scent of woodsmoke… she brought her hand up to the wood on the side the attackers came from. Its heat radiated from it, even through her lace.  _ Her carriage was on fire. _ She opened her mouth to scream at the firestarter, only to inhale a lot of smoke. Another slam, and the carriage tipped over, her head landing on the ground with a solid thwack. As her consciousness began to ebb, she turned to the door, which had cracked open, and tiger claws and hawk talons pushed in...

* * *

Tormod looked in anxiety, as Muarim and Chase pried open the doors to the carriage. Chase reverted, and pulled Sanaki from the smoking wreck. Her eyes were shut and her head lolled, but Tormod could still feel her pulse.

“Thank goodness, she’s still alive,” Tormod sighed.

“Can you carry her?” Muarim asked, looking at the significant size increase her skirt gave her.

“Oh, don’t worry, buddy, that’s all air in there. She should still be as light as I am,” Tormod told her, scooping her up. Said large skirt proceeded to get in his face, and Tormod tugged his head to one side to put his chin in front of it.

“OK, I  _ can _ carry her, Muarim. But something’s telling me I’m going to be very angry with this skirt by the time we get to Grann,” Tormod said. With that, he began running. The celerity he learned from Muarim meant he could probably shake off any horseback pursuers before they got problematic, but as Sanaki’s skirt whipped into his face, he realised he was going to have to be very careful about tripping.

* * *

Sanaki stirred, feeling a little light-headed as she awoke. She sat upright, recognising she was in a bed, and looked around. She had been changed out of her wedding dress and into a fairly plain orange shirt and green shorts. Her heels were still locked on, but the locks were badly battered and the heels themselves had been torn to try and get them off her feet. Sanaki focused, trying to produce her fire magic, but she couldn’t quite muster the strength. She looked over, and noticed a note on the end table beside her.

_ Tormod is resting. Ring bell for Rache. _

What was Rache, and why would she want it? She heard the door open gently, and a hulking figure peeked into the room. Upon seeing her awake, he smiled placatingly, and wandered in with a barrel. Sanaki saw a tail as he turned- a laguz, it seemed. Tiger, judging by the size.

“You must be thirsty,” the tiger said simply. As soon as she heard the word, Sanaki felt dryness and smoke in her mouth- he had a point. Water would do her good. He set down the barrel, and took a glass to fill with the water within. He put down the glass beside her table, and did the same with a glass bottle, filling it halfway. Sanaki took the glass, and took a few sips, nodding gratefully as he closed the barrel.

“...What’s Rache?” Sanaki asked, pronouncing the word with a ‘sh’ sound. The tiger blinked in confusion, before noticing the note.

“Oh, you mean Rache, right? She’s the girl who got you changed. I figured it’d be nice if you had a girl among us you trusted while we figure out what comes next,” he told her, pronouncing her name the same he would ‘rake’.

“In which case, you can send her in,” Sanaki said. He nodded, and no sooner than he left did this Rache girl enter the room. She was a cat-tribe laguz, her white ears prominently standing out over her long, flowing red hair. She was wearing a white coat around her waist, leaving a tank top and loose trousers, both in white with yellow patterns. She hardly seemed the motherly nurse type, but Sanaki could concede and go for ‘big sister’.

“You doing OK now?” Rache asked, smiling brightly.

“Er… quite. Where am I?” Sanaki asked.

“This is our home, within Grann Desert. We live here so we can hide from the nobles who persecute us,” Rache stated. A desert. Presumably, the barrel of water the tiger had would’ve had to have come a great distance. It left Sanaki wondering about the coat, but she had other questions.

“Why did you rescue me?” Sanaki asked. Rache shrugged.

“It was the right thing to do. Ten years old, you’re way too young to be in a wedding gown. Tormod wasn’t even old enough to look  _ up _ that skirt flying in his face,” Rache remarked.

“...Who’s Tormod?” Sanaki asked, recognising the name from the note. He must be important, but Rache did mention his youth.

“He’s Muarim’s adoptive cub. He’s a beorc ‘round your age, or at least he looks it. Beorc don’t age differently, right?” Rache stated. Sanaki shook her head, and Rache nodded.

“Anyway, Tormod’s the one we trust to keep his ear to the ground and know all the beorc doings. Considering how long we’ve raised him, he’s a bit of a laguz at times, but he still has a grip on beorc customs and such. It’s enough to help find slaves, at least,” Rache finished.

“...You’re the laguz that attack the nobles? There are  _ slaves _ involved?” Sanaki asked. Rache turned around, and pulled up her tank top, revealing an ugly set of lash marks criss-crossing each other.

“Almost everyone here is a former slave. I actually don’t know if anyone other than you and Tormod isn’t,” Rache told her. Sanaki shuddered, realising just how deep the Senators’ corruption went. Well, the fact they were fine pawning her off on Ashnard showed it went  _ pretty _ deep, but this was just awful on top of that.

“...Who knows I’m here?” Sanaki asked.

“Your carriage was apparently being followed, so they  _ might _ have figured out laguz were involved in your breakout from like Muarim’s tracks or something. Though Chase doubled back, he couldn’t figure out who they answered to before he had to give up,” Rache said. Sanaki leaned against the wall above her bed. The laguz bandits… no, the laguz freedom fighters threw in their lot with hers.

“You didn’t have to risk yourselves. Sigrun and Tanith can take it from here,” Sanaki insisted.

“Yeah, about that, Sanaki… they were chased from the capital ‘round the same time as you. That Sephiran fellow, too. We’re working on finding them, but no luck yet,” a male voice called from the door. Sanaki found herself slightly blushing at the young beorc. Presumably, he’d be Tormod.

“...What are these things made of?” Tormod asked, growling at Sanaki’s heels. He grabbed each one, and with a brief application of flame, the rest of the shoe was torn from each ankle.

“Thanks…” Sanaki squeaked, surprised at the boy’s control.

“Don’t mention it, Ap- I mean Sa- no... Em…” Tormod spluttered. Sanaki realised he was thinking about what to call her.

“Sanaki will do. I assume you’re going to help me get my other titles back in some way, but I hardly have them now,” Sanaki pointed out. Tormod nodded.

“Right. Sanaki, dinner’s just about ready,” Tormod told her.

* * *

Sanaki looked around the mess hall in wonder. The table at the head of the room which Tormod was escorting her too looked much too small to hold all the laguz, and as she looked around, she realised it was. It wasn’t intended to- the rest of the laguz worked their animal form out by eating from food provided from the floor. Two cats began tugging a chunk between each other, only for a raven to swoop in and help cut it up. Tormod chuckled, as he took a seat at the table, gesturing for Sanaki to sit at the head beside him. Rache sat at her other side, while Muarim took Tormod’s other side. A few other laguz filled the other seats, and their own food was placed before them. Sanaki, being unfamiliar with the unprocessed kind of meat the laguz favoured, took a moment to watch the others eat their own. Rache ate with her mouth right off the plate, while Tormod at least picked up the meat with his hands before tearing a chunk off with his teeth.

“...Is this how all laguz eat?” Sanaki asked.

“I don’t know. Many of us have never been in a laguz society before- the few that have have only vague memories of it. But we don’t exactly have access to silverware and the like anyway,” Tormod pointed out. Sanaki looked to either side of her plate, and noticed a hunting knife and an embarrassingly small fork. She took the two, and fumbled with the large meat chunklet. She was hardly sure how to cut unsliced meat with  _ normal _ utensils, and eventually shrugged. When in Gallia, do as the Gallians do. She stabbed the meat, slicing it ferociously into manageable chunks, and ate with her hands, tearing strips of meat away with her teeth. It was actually kind of fun.

“...It’s because the cutlery was no good, right?” Tormod asked. Sanaki blinked, before realising what he meant.

“...Yes. A  _ hunting knife _ ?” Sanaki called, feeling a little hot under the collar. It was… unnerving, how ready she was to join the laguz in their… their… casual-ness. She was an Empress, she was meant to be proper and…

“I suspected it wouldn’t have worked when I saw the difference in size,” Tormod laughed.

“I knew it wouldn’t work. I’ve set beorc tables,” Muarim added.

“Thanks for trying, at least,” Sanaki mumbled, looking away as she continued to nibble on her meat. She heard a chair moving, and Rache leaned in.

“You OK?” Rache asked.

“...I’m… I’m an Empress… I… I shouldn’t…” Sanaki stammered.

“You’re not an Empress anymore, Sanaki. You said it yourself. Who taught you about being proper?” Rache asked.

“...It was always Lekain and the senators…” Sanaki whispered.

“And look what those jerks did to you. Are you going to do  _ anything _ they’d have wanted?” Rache asked. Sanaki looked up.

“I know, one day, you’ll get your crown back. Because you’ll have us helping you, of course. But, until then, enjoy this sort of atmosphere. After all… once you get your crown back, you can never turn back,” Rache told her. Sanaki looked over at Tormod, who was exchanging banter with Muarim. He looked over his shoulder at her every now and then, clearly worried.

“...I… I’ll try,” Sanaki whispered.

“And that’s all we ask,” Rache giggled, before pulling back to her own bowl, tapping the table. Tormod turned to Sanaki properly, and continued the conversation- apparently, Muarim was in the habit of bringing up his past as a slave, which irked the boy.

“Muarim, go easy on the boy. We’re supposed to be all naive, right?” Sanaki asked.

“Heh. Us, naive. I’ve seen every person in this room forced into doing something unpleasant they didn’t volunteer for, and you’ve argued with the  _ Senate _ . If you wanted to find a pair of naive little brats, we’re the last two you’d go looking for!” Tormod laughed. Sanaki gave a weak chuckle.

“...So what happens when we find Sigrun and Tanith?” Sanaki asked.

“Well… we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. It’s still early yet- we haven’t even set a goal more specific than ‘get Lekain killed, deposed or other unpleasant fate’,” Tormod pointed out.

“Rest assured I’ll be OK to let them be the big sisters in your life once we’ve got them. Until then, I’m the best we can do at that,” Rache pointed out.

“...You’re all way too nice,” Sanaki said.

“Your standards have been lowered by the Senate,” Tormod retorted.

* * *

As Sanaki headed to bed that night, she was still idly thinking about how the freedom fighters were treating her. This kindness… she was enjoying it. A part of her was idly considering never going back to Begnion, just staying here with all these other rescuees. Surely Tormod would be OK with having another beorc in the group. But she knew that she shouldn’t- if no one stood up to Lekain, Begnion would become an unstoppable force. Especially since the beorc and laguz nations had a shaky resentment towards one another… no, there needed to be someone to organise a rebellion against Lekain, and that someone really  _ had _ to be her.

“Sanaki? Mind if I ask a favour?” Rache asked. Sanaki turned to her, confused.

“See… I’m working on my halfshift, and… once I’ve turned, I’ll need you to throw my covers on,” Rache explained. Sanaki took the covers, and watched as Rache turned into her cat form, and curled up on a soft rug on the floor. Sanaki looked around, and placed the cover over her as if her beastial head were her human head. Rache purred, and Sanaki smiled.

“Halfshifting, hm? Something so you can stay shifted all night?” Sanaki asked. Rache nodded, and Sanaki gave her an idle scratch behind the ears. Rache growled, and Sanaki’s hand darted back.

“...I’m guessing that’s a bit too animal-like, right?” Sanaki asked. Rache nodded.

“Sorry… but I promise, Rache. If I become Empress again, I’ll make sure laguz etiquette actually gets taught,” Sanaki told her. She finally put herself in her bed, lying awake and watching Rache stir, vaguely worried she had done something particularly awful. Her imagination of a particularly angry Rache consumed her, and she either didn’t sleep or had a lot of nightmares about it.

“Morning!” Tormod called. Sanaki jumped, bringing her legs in front of her instinctively.

“HAVEN’T YOU HEARD OF KNOCKING?” Sanaki screamed, trying to rear back.

“...I did. You must’ve still been asleep. Anyway, it’s nearly noon. You’d better get a meal,” Tormod suggested. Sanaki nodded nervously, getting to her feet. Her eyes passed over Rache’s bed, and then the rest of the room.

“Where’s Rache?” Sanaki asked.

“She went to go get some exercise, I think. She wanted to let you sleep,” Tormod told her.

“And you didn’t?” Sanaki called, looking through the drawers to find a good set of clothes. She was pleasantly surprised to find some beorc sundresses amongst the coats, tops, and bottoms.

“She’d agree getting a meal is important,” Tormod told her, leaving her to get changed.

* * *

With a meal and a freshen, Sanaki joined Tormod out in the Grann Desert for the first time. Well, conscious, at any rate. Tormod’s freedom fighters lived in stone buildings inside a circular mountain range, shielding them from the majority of desert winds. When Tormod stepped outside, he slipped on his cloak, and told Sanaki to do the same. As she did so, she noticed that the coat was made, not of a thick fur, but of a much thinner cotton.

“It keeps you hydrated by slowing sweat release, I think. I don’t remember precisely why it’s a good idea, but it’s something like that. On another note,  _ don’t wear these more than one day _ ,” Tormod explained. Sanaki nodded, trying not to think about overly sweaty desert clothes, or whatever experience Tormod happened to have to make him  _ insistent _ .

“...Anyway, we’ve got plenty of rooms here, enough for all the slaves we’ve rescued so far. And I hope to the goddess that there aren’t enough slaves left in Begnion to fill us out,” Tormod told her. Sanaki looked around at each room. Rache ran from one with a pink band around the top, smiling and hugging Sanaki when she arrived. Sanaki noticed her coat was off her waist and on her.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Rache teased.

“I don’t normally sleep late, I’ll have you know,” Sanaki growled. Rache shrugged, and turned her head back towards her building.

“Those coloured bands help distinguish between buildings. The pink one is the designated girl’s quarters, for like me and Vika and everyone else,” Rache told her.

“Seems a little odd, to only have one girls’ quarters,” Sanaki pointed out. Tormod shrugged.

“Strictly speaking, it’s not their only one. But we rescue less girls than boys- because of the whole taboo on beorc/laguz relationships and the fact the average slaveowner is fairly anti-laguz to begin with, girls just aren’t really popular as slaves,” Tormod pointed out.

“I mean, the average girl laguz is better at manual labour than the average boy beorc. And in fairness, I think Aisie was used for that. But hey, if you’re anti-laguz, I’ve noticed you tend to be anti-female, too, while you’re at it,” Rache chuckled.

“Heh. Listening to the senators talk to themselves, you wonder how they managed to tolerate  _ each other _ , how self-absorbed they are as rich beorc men. Actually… now I think on it, Oliver probably doesn’t like the other guys, but no one likes him in turn. He thinks he’s the most beautiful of us all,” Sanaki laughed.

“If the senators are as ugly as their policies, I can assure you that you’re the most beautiful one,” Tormod told her, looking up at the next room along.

“...Did he just say that?” Sanaki asked, blinking.

“That depends. What do you think of him for saying it?” Rache asked. Sanaki blushed lightly, thinking about what she felt. Something about it gave her this funny feeling in her tummy.

“...I… I mean, of course I’m the most beautiful amongst the senate. That’s not even a competition,” Sanaki stammered. Rache nodded, and helped Sanaki back over to Tormod.

* * *

“And that’s our humble home,” Tormod finished explaining. Sanaki looked back. Pink for the girls, brown for the scout birds, green for the muscular beasts, a blue building just in case they found someone outside one of those three groups. And, of course, red for Tormod’s crew, including herself.

“...Do you like it here, in the desert?” Sanaki asked.

“Well… it’s somewhere the senate doesn’t want to go, it’s nice and flat, and there’s an oasis nearby that allow us to keep a fairly solid handle on our water. Food’s a little harder to come by, but we manage. But… if you wanted to move us somewhere more hospitable once you get back in power and make Begnion more tolerant of laguz, you’d get no argument from us,” Tormod suggested.

“...Then you’d best hope you stay on my good side,” Sanaki giggled.

“Anyway, it’s a bit of a tradition when we rescue people… we have a fairly strong soccer league, and we like running a game. You down for seeing one?” Tormod asked.

“What’s soccer?” Sanaki asked.

“You don’t have soccer in the- you know, I should just not be surprised. It’s a sport. We run around kicking a ball into a net. It’s actually fairly neat,” Tormod babbled slightly. Sanaki tilted her head.

“It’ll be a bit before it’s cool enough to play. I’ll run you through the rules,” Rache told her.

* * *

“FOUL!” Sanaki called, looking at Tormod sprawled in the sand. Rache went to correct her, but she whacked her with a fiery backhand and yelled again, and Rache quickly decided that Sanaki had been lost to the wonders of the game. Muarim helped Tormod to his feet, and he waved at her in a fair daze. He rushed back in to the game, vaulting off an opposing tiger to reach the ball in a bird’s talons.

“Come on, Tormod!” Sanaki called. Tormod focused, and gave the ball a massive kick that sped past the cat on defence and scored a point. Sanaki cheered, not entirely sure what the score was and honestly not caring.

“...You got invested fast…” Rache chuckled, leaning beside her.

“I mean… Tormod’s adorable, running around with the big boys and sneaking in so many kicks,” Sanaki said, looking around nervously.

“Sure. Say, Sanaki… refresh my memory, you’re too young to get married right?” Rache asked.

“Well...yeah. I think Lekain mentioned something about how Sephiran would rather have waited until I was sixteen. After that mess, though… I kinda don’t want to get married,” Sanaki muttered.

“They let beorc marry as young as sixteen? ...Wait, how old are you now?” Rache asked.

“Ten, Rache,” Sanaki reminded her.

“You’re only ten and you’re trusted with an Empire? Wow, beorc grow up  _ really _ fast,” Rache mused.

“Wait, how is it for laguz?” Sanaki asked.

“The beast tribes marry at thirty, the birds at fifty. I hear the dragons wait until they’re a hundred. As for me… thirty-three,” Rache told her. Sanaki blinked.

“I’d never have pegged you as a day over twenty. It’s the… wait a sec…” Sanaki started. Rache chuckled.

“Right. See… the girls I’m friends with… and me, a little… they find the idea of you and Tormod…” Rache stuttered out. Sanaki turned back to Tormod.

“Well… I mean… Tormod does care about my health. That’s a lot better than I can say about any guys who’ve asked for my hand before. But no. I don’t plan on getting married, especially not until I turn sixteen. Who knows, maybe I’ll spontaneously fall in love with the idea,” Sanaki scoffed, somewhat less harshly than her usual scoff.

“I understand. You’re right, I just wanted you to know. Please… please don’t hate Tormod for my idea. As far as I can tell, he doesn’t see you in that way…” Rache told her. Sanaki merely nodded.

* * *

Sanaki shot bolt upright, looking around the familiar bed. The dull stone of the desert, her light orange pajamas, and Rache sleeping on the floor beside her. No senators, no restrictive white dress… just her in the desert. She dropped back to the bed, and closed her eyes. She stirred fitfully for a few moments, before waking back up. She heard Lekain’s sinister voice in her head, telling her she needed to walk the aisle for Begnion’s sake.

_ Not on your life, you overgrown cow… _

Sanaki shook her head, knowing that, one day, she would have to face an aisle. The office she held demanded an heir, such that she might pass on her gift. Even if the Senate was more concerned with getting rid of her, finding that heir would be the wish of Sephiran and Sigrun.

Sanaki stood, and left the room. She could hear Rache purring- she probably heard her fitful sleep.

“Sorry, Rache…” Sanaki muttered.

“Tormod’s room has the double doors. It’s down the hall, by the privy,” Rache vaguely mumbled. Sanaki grumbled, leaving to find those double doors. As much as she was loathe to admit it, she would rather the beorc to the friendly cat tonight. Especially since she didn’t know how it would affect her halfshift.

Sanaki gently knocked on the doors, parting them slightly to check on the boy. He stirred as soon as she opened the door, and she darted back, cautious.

“No, feel free,” Tormod blurted out, and Sanaki nervously entered the room. Despite the grandeur the double doors suggested, Tormod’s room was identical to Sanaki’s in layout. Or perhaps, Sanaki’s mind drifted to Rache’s remark at the soccer pitch, Sanaki’s room was identical to Tormod’s. About the only difference was Muarim wasn’t in the room- though a rug clearly designed for that purpose lay on the floor.

“What’s up?” Tormod asked, pulling himself upright. He had an orange shirt much like hers on, at least- and it suddenly occurred to Sanaki that she was probably using some of Tormod’s old clothes.

“I, um… I had a nightmare,” Sanaki told him with as much bluster and empressly might as she could, which wasn’t much.

“...Sure,” Tormod muttered, pulling aside the covers on one side. Sanaki darted into the bed, throwing her arms around him. Tormod smiled, sliding an arm underneath her head.

“...You’re safe with me, Sanaki. You’re safe with all of us. We’ll find your guard and then… well, they’ll know what to do…” Tormod whispered into her ear. Sanaki nodded, trying to get back to sleep. Her dreams conjured up herself playing with Tormod in a flowery meadow… they were laughing and chasing one another…

She could get used to this.


	2. Reunion

Mrs. Everleigh watched with a soft smile on her face as the two children ran up to the village, the same time as the last two times they had done so. Perhaps she would invite them into her house for lunch, and come up with something for the girl to do here.

The children introduced themselves as Tormod and Freyja. It was clear as day the two meant a lot to each other, even despite not being siblings. Everleigh wondered if she would live to see their wedding, or even, she sighed as she thought, if  _ they _ would. The two came from far away in search of work for coin, and although poor Freyja was inexperienced, the two worked hard and more than earned the keep they claimed. Everleigh was sure to slip a few gold pieces from her inheritance in the payment, as well as some hearty meats.

“Tormod! Freyja!” she called. Tormod waved, and opened the gate for Freyja politely. Freyja was a total mystery, a popular topic for gossip around the village. Last they had visited, Everleigh had noticed the deep purple hair she normally had concealed under her cloak… it seemed so strange, the idea that their true Empress, the girl who was set to be wed to the Mad King Ashnard before the carriage was attacked by laguz, would be standing before her, ready for common yardwork. But that was the rumour that carried around, and with any luck, it would slowly spread across Begnion. The people needed hope, a figure to rally under to oppose the Senate.

“Hello, Mrs. Everleigh!” Tormod said politely, as she ushered the two in for some lunch. She could make some neat toast on short notice, at least.

“So what’s on offer?” Tormod asked. Mrs. Everleigh considered the others around the village.

“The Smiths could use your help again, Tormod. Something about their fireplace… Freyja, if you don’t mind, could you give me a hand around the house? It’s been getting dusty…” Mrs. Everleigh asked, letting out a sneeze.

“Oh, uh… sure you’ll be all right, Freyja?” Tormod asked.

“Of course, Tormod,” Freyja said.

* * *

Sanaki trembled, as she tried to work the duster over the dresser. She had told Tormod she’d be fine, thinking almost entirely of hiding her true identity from the elderly woman… but when it came to the job she had been tasked with, suddenly she didn’t feel so great. Especially since she wasn’t entirely tall enough to reach the top of all the surfaces with the utmost caution.

“Try picking the trinkets up, dearie. I won’t mind,” Mrs. Everleigh suggested. Sanaki grabbed a picture frame, lifting it up a fairly short distance before quickly dusting underneath and plopping the frame back down. Mrs. Everleigh let out a sincere chuckle, and suggested she get to work on the shelves that were more in line with her height. She turned to her cupboards, and started looking for a stool she had for exactly this sort of thing.

“My husband was actually the one who decorated those very top shelves. Dear me, I don’t think you’d reach that high even with this stool...” Mrs. Everleigh remarked.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a ladder for me to reach them?” Sanaki asked.

“Oh, it’s no fuss. I’ll just go ask one of the neighbours. Say, dear… you and that boy Tormod seem pretty close…” Mrs. Everleigh said. Sanaki got the uncomfortable feeling this question was leading into why she had split the two up, and kept her in her house.

“Aren’t I a little young to be thinking about marriage?” Sanaki asked, almost instinctively. She had strong feelings for the boy, yes. She wanted him to protect and care for her, yes. But would it  _ kill _ people to not want all about this marriage junk?

“Yes, I suppose… just like our young apostle. She was about your age when she was lost, wasn’t she?” Mrs Everleigh remarked. Sanaki froze. Living with the laguz in the desert, doing commoner’s work outside of it, it almost slipped her mind why she was hiding in the first place.

“I guess she was, wasn’t she? Shame they never found her…” Sanaki sighed.

“Shame indeed. Ever since she left, the Senate have gotten worse and worse. There’s two taxes a year, those nice pegasus knights have been stripped of their title… I don’t want to know what it is they’re planning in there. Everyone in this village would be happy to serve her, if she would only rally us. Alone as we are, we’re no match for the Imperial Army…” Mrs. Everleigh sighed. If she suspected she was the apostle, this was a really insolent remark to sling her way. She took a quiet breath, hoping the kindly lady wouldn’t think she was getting angry.

“You’re commoners. You’d hardly match the Imperial Army anyway, wouldn’t you?” Sanaki asked, cursing herself as she realised the ‘you’re’ was suspect.

“Well, it wouldn’t be just us. The Army itself doesn’t support the Senate entirely. When Zelgius came this way, looking for Sanaki… he was seething. Surely some of them would defect,” Mrs. Everleigh suggested, sounding quite optimistic.

“Even now?” Sanaki asked.

“...My dear, is something the matter?” Mrs. Everleigh asked. Sanaki set down the duster, and turned to face her, pushing back her cowl. Her hair had never been done in a ponytail when she was Empress… she considered pulling it out, but her long hair would hardly be any better.

“You  _ are _ Empress Sanaki?” Mrs. Everleigh asked.

“Indeed. You have been rather rude, you know?” Sanaki told her, no real command behind it.

“What are you going to do, milady?” Mrs. Everleigh asked. Sanaki tsked.

“I’m a child, ma’am. The most learned person in my community is a former slave and I don’t think they taught him any battle strategy. Without Sigrun, Tanith, Sephiran or even Zelgius himself, I’m nothing more than a figurehead. The people will rally around me, and then we’re all doomed under the Senate’s power. I… I can only hope I’ll be all right with Tormod and the laguz, in the desert where no one will find us…” Sanaki muttered.

“Poor dear…” Mrs. Everleigh sighed. Sanaki flicked her cowl back up, and returned to the shelves.

“You don’t have to do that,” Mrs. Everleigh started by instinct.

“These shelves have angered me by being difficult to dust. They shall learn what happens when I am defied,” Sanaki exclaimed.

* * *

_ Sigrun _

_ The little dear is Sanaki. She’s in hiding in the desert, trusts in the people that took her in, and believes that she needs your help if any sort of overthrow of the Senate is going to happen. _

_ Signed, a worried citizen. _

_ P.S. She seems to have a crush on the boy she’s with. _

Sigrun smiled, stroking the messenger pigeon absently. With any luck, they would find Sanaki soon. Even if the revolution idea didn’t wind up working out, the fact that Sanaki had found a family with her rescuers was heartwarming enough. Sigrun would fight to the death to make sure Sanaki never lost them. Though she  _ was _ interested by that boyfriend.

“Is that an actual messenger pigeon?” Tanith asked.

“It was an elderly woman who informed us. She’s just a little old fashioned, that’s all. Besides, how else were they going to get this to us? Walking?” Sigrun told her, letting the pigeon fly back to the roost.

“Are you sure we can  _ trust _ her? How do we know this is Sanaki and not some delusion?” Tanith asked.

“Any lead is better than no lead. And can you let me believe Sanaki is happy, at least?” Sigrun asked. Tanith took the note.

“...Boyfriend?” Tanith asked.

“Tanith, let’s give him a chance. Sanaki’s had a year to get to know him, and if she’s as happy as the note says, he’s at  _ least _ genuine. Now we better get going before the Senate figures out they’re in the desert. Hopefully, they share your opinion on the antiquity of messenger pigeons,” Sigrun suggested. Tanith considered the fact the note was folded and wrapped with twine.

“...Not a chance I want to take,” Tanith said, preparing her lance. She turned, and noticed Sigrun’s jaw agape.

“On the senate thing,” she elaborated, which got Sigrun moving.

* * *

When Tormod and Sanaki returned to the desert the following day, it was to find Muarim and Rache keenly beckoning them in to the recovery ward. Sanaki rushed forward, peeking around the door and onto the bed freshly rescued laguz slept on. A male tiger this time. Sanaki took a damp cloth, and gently placed it atop his forehead. The tiger stirred, guttural roars sounding from the back of his throat.

“Sounds like the last one…” Sanaki muttered. Muarim nodded knowingly, rushing to fetch some food. Sanaki sighed, wondering if the laguz they were finding that had that feral drug in their system were related to her escape. Were the senate forsaking their own slaves to try and get one to attack her?

“No… no more…” the tiger groaned, thrashing. Sanaki held her other arm forward, taking his shoulder. The tiger blinked, looking up at Sanaki.

“Are… are you with the liberators?” the tiger asked.

“Yep. You got a pretty nasty drug in your system, but the Senate doesn’t seem to be dosing it right. You should be able to get up and at’em with a bit of rest,” Sanaki said. Muarim returned, a tray with a bowl of steaming vegetables in hand. Sanaki took it, and set it on the tiger’s lap. The tiger looked at the spoon thoughtfully, before taking it and starting his meal. The vegetables themselves weren’t actually important- it was getting the laguz to think about their unshifted form that was the bigger help. Animalistic behaviours would only increase the impact of the feral drug, and turn the laguz into mindless killing machines.

Cruel though it might have been, she had to admire the ingenuity in making an anti-laguz weapon that became more effective with the laguz’s pride.

“Sanaki… er…” Tormod muttered. Sanaki looked up, the tiger also glancing his way, too.

“At the door…” Tormod spluttered, seeming somewhat tense. Sanaki smiled at the tiger.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta go. Once you’re done, have a walk around,” Sanaki suggested.

“...I should stay here and help,” Muarim stated.

“...Fair enough,” Tormod stuttered, and Sanaki realised whatever was waiting for her had to be big.

* * *

“...I can’t believe my eyes…” Tanith exclaimed, looking down at the girl that had come to the door. She wore a short cotton dress in a bright purple, with a pair of loose trousers underneath and a red coat hanging from her shoulders. Her purple hair was brushed away from her face and into a fairly long ponytail, leaving her piercing golden eyes free to cast a glance between the two and a smile to appear at the corners of her mouth.

“...Empress?” Sigrun asked. Sanaki ran forward, and jumped on Sigrun, sending her falling on her back and into the sand. The coat fell into the sand, and Tormod quickly ran forward to dust it off and take a hold of it. Tanith watched him shrewdly, only for Sanaki to barrel into her and hug her, too.

“I’m so happy you’re all right!” Sanaki cried out, stepping back and taking the coat, slipping it back over her shoulders.

“Same here, dear… you just look so…” Sigrun started, her hands brushing down Sanaki’s side vaguely.

“Different? I feel different. These people are my family now,” Sanaki stated.

“In the  _ desert _ ?” Tanith asked. Sanaki looked down, wringing her hands.

“I… I want to help them. If I get my crown back, I want these laguz to have a proper home, one where water and food are within easy reach and not an hour’s march to a source that must be cautiously farmed from,” Sanaki muttered.

“There there, Empress. If that is your wish, we shall aid you,” Tanith told her, kneeling down to her level.

“...Thanks…” Sanaki squeaked.

“Excuse me… which way is out?” the tiger interrupted. Sanaki blinked, and turned around.

“That door. Out this way is just a good way to get lost,” Sanaki told him.

“Got it,” he called, vaguely limping towards the door to the other laguz.

“...Who was he?” Tanith asked.

“New find. I haven’t even been informed of his name yet- we only got here shortly before you did,” Sanaki pointed out.

“It’s only thanks to spotting your footprints we did. Don’t worry, you crossed enough mountain I don’t think you could get tracked from land,” Sigrun chuckled. Sanaki still shivered, wondering whether the Senate’s wyverns could do what Sigrun and Tanith had done.

“...I suppose we’ll be having a round of soccer to introduce the new guy. Rache, I’ll be joining this round,” Sanaki said. Rache nodded, slipping on her coat and running to round up a pair of teams.

“Soccer?” Sigrun asked.

“It’s our sport,” Sanaki told her.

“You play a  _ sport _ now?” Tanith asked.

* * *

Tanith gently knocked and entered the double-doored room, allowing a brief smile to appear on her face as she saw Tormod with Sanaki on his arm, both sleeping quite soundly for a midday nap. She let out a cough, jolting both awake, and Tormod hurriedly pulled his arm away from Sanaki.

“What is it, Tanith?” Sanaki asked, pouting slightly. Tanith began to wonder if she had been too forward, but she pressed on.

“Tormod, is it? I feel it is my duty to impress on you that, as the Deputy Commander of the Holy Guard, the safety and well-being of the Empress is my highest priority,” Tanith stated.

“And you want to warn me against doing something ‘nasty’,” Tormod said.

“...No. Sanaki has had a year’s worth of time with you, and she seems perfectly fine… even if she’s had a different attitude and style from her life as Empress, but that’s fairly normal. What I want to inform you is that I accept that you are what’s best for Sanaki. When she regains her crown, the very real concern that she will be required to pick out a husband- and, more importantly, a child- will rear itself back up again. I would have been opposed to the plan of marrying her off to someone she didn’t know or care about had I been informed, and now that she is back under my control, I refuse to allow her to go through that again. Sanaki trusts you. Sigrun thinks the two of you look cute together. I… also think you’ve been doing Sanaki good, but I will never allow my feelings to interfere with my station. If I have reason to believe you are not as you appear, I  _ will _ act on it. Got it?” Tanith elaborated. Tormod blinked, and Sanaki leaned forward.

“Thank you, Tanith, but I don’t want to think about that right now. I like Tormod, and I’m fairly sure I love him, but just the thought of getting back in a wedding dress is… eurgh,” Sanaki told her. Tanith blinked.

“...I understand. But I’m afraid it’s a concern that won’t go away easily,” Tanith suggested.

“The child thing is the important bit, right?” Tormod asked. Tanith nodded.

“Her gift to hear the voice of the goddess is hereditary. Adoption’s no good. Sanaki will have to produce a natural child. But that’s for much later- you two aren’t even old enough to know how to make one of those,” Tanith said.

“I make them by kissing her on the lips!” Tormod exclaimed.

“The stork delivers them!” Sanaki cried at almost the same time. Tanith turned away, not allowing them to see her wide smile.

“Not quite, dears. All I will say is make sure you’re wearing your nightclothes when you share a bed. Oh, and…” Tanith said, and held her hand up. The charm that told them it was getting cool enough for the match went off.

“Got it!” Tormod and Sanaki exclaimed in unison, and Sanaki rushed past Tanith to her room to grab her soccer gear.

* * *

“With what you’ve seen so far, can you explain to me the rules?” Tanith asked, watching the two teams clash together fighting over a small ball, only to then kick it away and chase after it some more. Sigrun watched as Tormod ran down an edge, and kicked the ball really hard towards one end of the field, where the ball was caught by Vika and thrown back in to the field.

“I think they’re trying to kick the ball into that net…” Sigrun remarked.

“I gathered,” Tanith stated. Sigrun peered at the game, trying to figure out anything more complicated than that. Although rough tackling seemed to be banned, there were some stumbles when the ball was taken from the other team. Sigrun was quite surprised to have seen Sanaki taking out three bulky tigers with such a slide, and only one of them was declared a foul by the referee, Rache.

“...Well, you can’t use your hands?” Sigrun suggested.

“We’ll ask for a rulebook later. Not particularly interested in playing, though,” Tanith said. Sigrun shrugged.

“I might. Maybe,” Sigrun said. She watched Sanaki’s ponytail fly in the wind, and also that most of the girl laguz favoured shorter hair styles- with the exception of one of the hawks, who also wore her hair in a ponytail no longer than Sanaki’s. Somehow, she figured that her longer hair would cause problems.

Sanaki ducked and weaved her way through the field, looking at the goal thoughtfully. Her nearest ally, Schatch, was covered by a fairly bulky tiger, while Tormod stepped in front of her. Sanaki looked up, calculating her movement, before giving the ball a solid kick. It soared right over Tormod, and Sanaki ran up to him. Tormod gasped, as Sanaki vaulted off his shoulders, reaching the ball in time to smack it with her forehead, sending it into the net behind Muarim. She landed on her feet, before staggering and falling on her rear, her back against Tormod’s.

“You OK?” she asked, panting.

“That… was… awesome,” Tormod replied, equally tired.

“I know I am… but do you want to tag out of this match?” Sanaki asked. Tormod nodded, and Sanaki got to her feet, scooping him up and ducking away as the ball returned to play.

“You really  _ are _ awesome, Sanaki… I feel so honoured, being trusted with your happiness…” Tormod muttered. Sanaki offered no reaction, especially as he wasn’t really in place to be dropped yet, but inside, her heart was racing. What was she supposed to say to that?

* * *

“Come on, Sanaki… you can do it… for him…” Sanaki muttered, holding the wedding dress she had been found in in front of her. Rache hadn’t found the heart to destroy it, especially since she didn’t know what she had been wearing underneath at the time. She had to admit, it  _ was _ rather pretty. But just knowing where this dress had been… what it had meant to her at the time to wear it… she didn’t know if she could put it on again.

She wasn’t just a commodity. She was a proud Empress… she liked Tormod because he respected her.

“I… I can’t…” Sanaki sobbed, tossing the dress to the bed. Such a small dress, suited only for a child… maybe it should have been destroyed. No one who’d fit in it should ever wear it… just one fireball and the reminder of the past would be gone.

“How are you, Sanaki?” Tormod asked, peeking in to her room with a goofy grin on his face. Something about the vault had made him a little dazed, but Sanaki chose to believe he meant what he said on the pitch.

“All right. Just… just going to burn this dress…” Sanaki muttered. Tormod looked at the gown, before looking back at her.

“How bad is it?” Tormod asked.

“...Tormod… everyone likes us together. ‘One day, you two will make a great couple.’ Except… I’m still scared of this. I know you won’t treat me like the Senate did… but…” Sanaki choked out. Tormod stepped forward, and put one hand on her shoulder.

“Sanaki. You  _ are _ eleven. Most girls don’t have to worry about marriage until they’re thirteen, and  _ that’s  _ considered skeevy and hurried. You  _ really _ don’t have to feel obligated to try until you’re much older. I can wait,” Tormod reminded her. Sanaki took in a breath.

“I’m an Empress… I have a duty to my country…” Sanaki started.

“Your duty to your country is to lead them. You have a duty to overthrow the laguz slavery. You do  _ not _ have a duty to get married until you’re old enough to have kids, and even then, I’m not sure I agree with that. But I promise you, Sanaki- marry me at eleven, thirteen, sixteen, eighteen, twenty-one or whenever, I’ll treat you the same afterwards as I do now. All a marriage is is just a flashy ceremony, is it not?” Tormod asked. Sanaki giggled, turning back to the dress. She shrugged, and set it alight. It quickly disappeared, leaving a pile of ashes at the foot of the bed.

“You’re right. All a marriage is is a day where I say I love you forever. I don’t need to be wearing a white dress that gives me nightmares and barely lets me move about,” Sanaki said. Tormod chuckled, and gave Sanaki a hug. Sanaki returned it, smiling in gratitude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had half a mind to make this story run longer, but I had no idea how Sanaki would have gone about challenging the Senate.


End file.
